Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 124

After dinner that evening, Ye Zhiqiu went to Tian Man’s house.

Tan Jianping was away with his company, and the two children were playing outside, so only the two women were left in the house.

“Zhiqiu, Chen Can is in trouble.”

“Chen Can?” Ye Zhiqiu was puzzled. “What happened to him?”

“I heard he was ambushed and badly hurt. People in the compound are all discussing who he might have offended.”

“After he regained consciousness, he kept yelling about getting revenge, but he doesn’t even know who did it. He said the attacker made no sound and didn’t say a single word to him.”

Tian Man couldn’t help but laugh as she spoke. “Some people suspect he cuckolded someone, and the guy was so furious that he gave Chen Can a brutal beating to vent his anger.”

Ye Zhiqiu nodded. “That really could be the case.”

She only found out later that while Chen Can was seeing her, he was not only involved with Shen Liya but also had ambiguous relationships with other women.

Once, when she returned home, she overheard Shen Liya crying to Wang Fengqin, saying that Chen Can found her body ugly after pregnancy and didn’t want to touch her. He stayed out every night, completely bewitched by some seductress outside.

Back then, Ye Zhiqiu still considered Shen Liya family and was furious on her behalf. She rushed in, pulled Shen Liya up, and wanted to take her to confront Chen Can. But Shen Liya scolded her for meddling and smugly told her that Chen Can had known that other woman even while he was with Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu shared these stories with Tian Man as amusing anecdotes. Tian Man clicked her tongue. “A man like Chen Can will never change. No one can change him.”

“Zhiqiu, what I’m about to say might be a bit inappropriate, but I still want to say it: it’s a good thing you ended up with Mingyuan and not him. With his behavior and his mother’s attitude, anyone who marries into that family would be in for a nightmare.”

Tian Man felt suffocated just thinking about it. “The reason I chose Old Tan back then was because he seemed decent, and his parents weren’t the unreasonable type. They didn’t favor his younger brother; they basically treated both sons equally.”

“Every family has its problems, but there’s a difference between having a little dust under the rug and having a whole layer of grime.”

“It’s just that you can’t have it all. My family life is smooth, but my career…”

Hearing the unease in Tian Man’s voice, Ye Zhiqiu asked with concern, “Sis, is the column not going well?”

“No, it’s that I’ve been reported.”

Tian Man found it ridiculous herself. “Someone sent an anonymous letter to the relevant authorities. It just so happens that higher-ups want to crack down on newspapers, so they’re making an example of my case. They’ve even set up a special investigation team.”

“During the investigation, I can’t continue with any reporting. I can only return to work once everything is cleared up.”

“I thought my career was about to enjoy another spring, but who knew after just a few warm days, we’d hit a late cold snap.”

Hearing that Tian Man could still joke about it, Ye Zhiqiu knew she wasn’t too badly affected, though she was undoubtedly uncomfortable and just needed to talk to someone.

“Sis, this cold snap is only temporary. Afterward, it will still be warm spring and sunny skies.”

Tian Man patted Ye Zhiqiu’s hand. “You’re so good at comforting people. I knew talking with you would make me feel much better.”

“Sis, do you have any suspicions about who sent the anonymous letter?” Ye Zhiqiu asked.

Tian Man’s face darkened. “Who else could it be but Cao Yuejin? No one else would stoop to such petty behavior!”

“He’s the one who wanted to resign, and he even tried to threaten the editor-in-chief. He thought the editor would try to keep him, but instead, the editor agreed immediately.”

“He never reflects on his own actions, just blames everyone and everything else.”

“It’s not that I’m being harsh, but he really has no integrity as a man.”

Ye Zhiqiu thought for a moment, then offered Tian Man some advice. “Sis, he reported you anonymously, but you can report him under your real name.”

“He used anonymity because he has a guilty conscience. His accusations against you are probably baseless. But the things he’s done are solid facts. We won’t play his game of stabbing people in the back; we’ll confront him directly.”

“Oh right, why didn’t I think of that!”

Tian Man slapped her thigh emphatically. “I’ve been too down these past few days. I should give him a taste of his own medicine.”

She got right to work and soon drafted a report letter.

The next day, as soon as she got to work, she delivered the letter to Qian Chunyang, the head of the investigation team. “Sir, I wish to report Cao Yuejin under my real name for disregarding facts, distorting the truth, and abusing his authority after resigning.”

Qian Chunyang frowned. “Tian Man, you are still under investigation yourself…”

Tian Man countered, “Sir, I am only under investigation. Until the investigation is concluded, all the accusations against me are unsubstantiated.”

“Even if I have problems myself, I still have the right to report misconduct by others.”

“I am reporting this under my real name, and I will take responsibility for my words and actions. I hope you will treat this matter seriously.”

Qian Chunyang read the report letter in front of Tian Man, and his expression grew increasingly stern.

“If what you’ve written is true, we will deal with it severely. We absolutely cannot allow such scum in our journalists’ ranks!”

Tian Man then placed several copies of the Guojing Evening News and Guojing New News in front of Qian Chunyang.

“Sir, these are reports previously written by Cao Yuejin. Now, please look at these two articles.”

She wisely avoided stating conclusions herself, instead letting Qian Chunyang draw his own judgments.

Writing style, like handwriting, has its own quirks—some writers lean toward mild language, while others are more forceful.

Cao Yuejin had a very strong personal style, often infused with his own emotions, making it easy to identify the two articles in the Guojing New News as his work.

Tian Man had been following the matter closely. She had reported on other events since then, but Cao Yuejin hadn’t continued to compete with her.

She suspected that Cao Yuejin hadn’t managed to jump to the Guojing New News as he had hoped.

Qian Chunyang was a decisive man. He immediately called Hou Haihua, editor-in-chief of the Guojing New News. “Old Hou, come to the investigation team right now. I need to ask you something.”

“Xiao Tian, don’t leave yet. Since you’re familiar with this matter, you can explain it to Editor Hou when he arrives.”

Hou Haihua arrived quickly. Without wasting words, Qian Chunyang placed the copies of the Guojing New News featuring Cao Yuejin’s articles in front of Hou Haihua. He tapped the desk sharply and fired off a series of questions:

“Old Hou, what’s the meaning of these two articles? Was this ‘Anonymous’ actually Cao Yuejin from the Guojing Evening News? Didn’t you review them?”

Hou Haihua replied immediately, “Director Qian, I was hospitalized during that period. The deputy editor was responsible for layout and final review.”

“After I saw these two articles, I immediately held the deputy editor accountable. He has deeply recognized his mistake!”

Hou Haihua didn’t elaborate explicitly, but Qian Chunyang had some understanding of the situation at the Guojing New News.